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User blog:TheSecondEdgeOfTheBlade/The Seygahd Library of Vile Root
The young boy led the group through the town. A slight smile seemed to be permanently engraved on his face. He moved with a distinct hop in his young step, yet he always held the perfect pace for the elementals to keep up. He took them through winding stone alleyways and over twisted bridges. They went up through buildings that should have been torn down years ago and underground tunnels that had no right being under such a small town. Before long, everyone but him was lost, through no fault of their own. Every raised concern he waved away. He carried with him an air of confidence, yet no malice. Even the most intuitive person could pick up no ill intent from him. He brought them out into a massive courtyard. The entire courtyard was surrounded by towering stone walls. Around the border was a garden with countless plants, blooming spectacular shades of magenta, red, and blue, along with every other color you could imagine, despite the light snow covering on the ground around the roots. Two men were working in the garden silently, only sparing a moment to look at the guide boy and his party. The shorter of the two smiled before returning to his work. At the end of the courtyard was a building even larger than everything else around them. The door to it could have fit a titan through. It was a magnificent piece of woodworking. Twenty feet high, and fourteen wide, the top of it curved and pointed, giving it a cathedral-like look. The edges of the door were carved into intricate designs of vines, lightning, skulls, and weaponry, all tied together in a delicate lace surrounding a design in the middle. In the center of the thing stood a wingless dragon anthro, so realistic it seemed he was trapped in the wood. His face seemed smiling, at peace, and welcoming. The building itself was another ten feet taller than the door. Three full-length stained glass windows were on each side of the wooden marvel, each a masterpiece of their own. The two closest windows each had a crest on them. One was a dragon’s skull on the backdrop of a moon, surrounded by stars and lightning. The other was a crow, holding a scroll and surrounded by a golden medallion engraved with the letter S. Silently, the boy continued walking across the cobblestone. He briefly looked up at the sky when he reached the center. His face was relieved when he brought it back down to a normal level. About eight feet from the door, he urged the group to stop, and then as he got closer he himself slowed down until he had reached the foot of it. He grabbed one of the claws and pulled on a small string hidden behind it, ringing a bell on the other side in a specific pattern. As soon as he had completed the sequence, he walked back to the group and waited. Not long after, the doors began to open. They were slow at first, having to overcome all of the weight that the heavy wood had to it, but soon opened enough to let everyone in. They didn’t even come close to fully opening. Even so, the scent of old ink and paper rushed out into the courtyard. The warm air carried with it a feeling of security and knowledge. The interior of the building was even more incredible than the exterior. A marble staircase with long steps led through the entry hallway up into the main room, where the ceiling loomed so high up that it felt like they were in the hallway to heaven itself. Every wall was lined from floor to ceiling with wooden bookshelves, all full of thousands upon thousands of texts. The shelves were only interrupted by the occasional door or stained glass window. In each bank there were strong, wide ladders that reached up the entire height of the bookshelves, and could be rolled along rails on the ceiling to reach every text in the building. There was a balcony on the opposite wall that had tables and chairs seated around it. The furniture seemed like toys compared to the massive spectacle that surrounded it. There were two spiraling iron stairways up to the balcony on either side, and presumably a third hidden behind a door on the back wall. Roughly twenty people were inside the building, which now was obviously a library. They looked up from their scattered studies. Most went back to work, some put their books away, and a few approached the group. One that approached was a small lizard boy, one was a red-haired human man, and the last was a half-bred anthro woman. The woman was some mixture of two birds of prey. The raptor adjusted the medallion around her neck before jumping off of the balcony and gliding down to the group. She landed three feet in front of them, and arrived well before the other two who approached. As soon as she had, they turned around and went back to their stations to continue studying. “Welcome to the library, Elementals,” the woman said. Her voice was smooth and relaxing beyond belief. Even though nobody had told her who these newcomers were, she knew the second she saw them walk in the door. “Your guide here has no doubt told you that we have something here for you?” “Yes,” the young boy said, then walked away from the group. He went up one of the spiraling staircases and into the balcony. Before long, he had a book out, and was reading. The raptor watched the child for a moment, then turned back to the group, once again smiling. She quickly scanned the group, counting how many there were, and stalled when she reached twelve that gave off an aura. ‘This is a full set,’ she thought. ‘Every single one of them...’ She swallowed hard to regain her composure. “Follow me,” she said shortly, then turned and walked straight across the huge floor to a door on the other side. It was a modest door, especially in comparison to everything else in the library. She held a hand up for the group to wait when she reached the door and slipped inside. Mere seconds later, she returned, holding a bag full of scrolls. Each one had a different casing surrounding it. Each casing had intricate designs around it, a simple symbol on the cap, and a color corresponding to each element. She handed these scrolls out to each elemental, uttering a few hissed words with each one. When she handed Max his scroll, she looked deep into his eyes and said very quietly, “You’re not what I would have thought.” She then straightened up and addressed the entire group. “You are welcome to make yourselves comfortable in our library. Do not disturb any of our texts, and you should be fine. Also, do not disturb any of the monks’ studies. When you are finished reading your scrolls, either return them to me, or place them the table beside the main entrance doors on your way out. When you leave you’ll find it a lot easier to find your way back to town than it was to get here.” The raptor woman turned to leave, saying a few final words. “My name is Lidia by the way. If you have any questions, just say my name anywhere in the building. You don’t need to call me loudly. I’ll just know.” ---- Fire You are undoubtedly still learning to control your abilities if you are being given this scroll. Perhaps you have set a forest or two ablaze, or maybe a town? It does not matter. It is in the nature of your element to destroy. It is your task to learn to control the wild beast that flows through your veins. Do not fall into the trap of your ancestors. Many have used their destructive power to do nothing but destroy, or have allowed the alluring dance of the flames consume them to the point they kill themselves of overuse. Learn and know your limits, or you will find yourself slowly withering away. You won’t experience fatigue quite like the others will when you’re using your powers too much. You’ll notice your powers will grow weaker unless you put more effort in, but you won’t grow tired. When you start having to push harder to do things than you normally would, it’s time to stop. Don’t wait for drowsiness. It won’t come. That’s something that the other elements will feel, but you won’t. You must learn the other signs that you are overworking yourself. These will differ from elemental to elemental, but you should be able to decipher them for yourself fairly easily. You must also learn to control your flames. You will soon find ~if you have not already~ that your fire can and will grow much larger than you want it to. To counteract this, hold your breath. Your fire is an extension of yourself. It also needs to breathe. If you hold your breath it will starve the fire, so it won’t gain as much size. Another trick I have heard of is to keep your controlling movements to only your fingers and wrists. Using your whole arms or body increases the energy of the power you are using, so if you are doing delicate work it is important to learn to only use the smallest portions of yourself. With any use of your power, be that offensive, defensive, or utilitarian, you should be making smooth, flowing movements with your limbs and body, much like Water. This increases control and grace, limiting the likelihood of your flames doing something you don’t want them to. It will also help you maintain focus, so you don’t get distracted by your own spastic movements. The fire element is one of the most important ones to develop your focus for, since the fire has a mind of its own. When taking an offensive stance, focus your power from your center, and extend it out to your dominant hand. Use your non-dominant hand as a counter balance. Make large sweeping movements for maximum effects when attacking an opponent. Opt for hot flames over large flames. Go for the areas of the thinnest metal when facing a foe in armor. These are often near joints, and if you can melt through the metal and create an opening in a very vulnerable location like a knee, you should take a shot at it. Another location to go for is the eyes. Armor usually has slits there so that the wearer can see. Fire can make it through those slits, and blind them. Only use this if it is your only option though, as it is a very dishonorable way to fight. If you are taking a defensive approach, raise your arms to cover your face, and focus your flames around your forearms. You can make quick jabbing movements from there to make a small attack, but you will keep yourself quite protected. Be mindful of your back though. Many fire elementals before you have neglected to keep their guard up on the rear, and have become victim to a dishonorable back stabbing. Never fight next to or against a Water or a passive Wind elemental. You are weak to these elements, and they will quickly overpower you, or lessen your attacks on a common enemy. Fight alongside a Metal or active Wind elemental if you can. You will be especially strong when fighting against Darkness, Life, and Mystery. I say you will be strong against Mystery with caution though. Mystery is not really weak to anyone, as its hosts can easily feign their way out of battle. However, in close combat, your element is one of the hardest for them to escape from. Use this to your advantage if you must, but it is highly advised that you never take one of these on. Although I have given you battle tactics, it would be best if you avoided combat for the simple reason that you will get carried away at some point, and burn something that matters to you. It happens to every fire elemental, and it will eventually happen to you. Good luck, ~Hrr’Ta the Moon Seer . Water Your element holds so much capacity for destruction, yet like most of those before you, you will probably use the calmer side of the storm that brews inside of you. This is good because you won’t destroy much. An elemental of your kind inherently has much more control than the others. What you need to do is learn to let go; to stop bottling up your powers and let them out in full force. If you do not train yourself to your limit you will be weak and at the element’s mercy in a battle. Water will often work with you, but there are times it will leave you stranded if you do not establish a working relationship with it. This means you must practice every single day to form a close bond. In the event that you are a violent water bearer, I encourage you to slow down, and let your storm brood. There is nothing to gain from pointless destruction, and if you hold back your powers until you really need them, they will be far more effective. This does not remove the requirement to practice every day, but it does make it very important to know when to stop. First of all, if you begin to feel tired, you should cease immediately and rest. If you are bringing about unjustifiable destruction, then stop. If you have killed ~or nearly killed~ an innocent, stop. Along with it being simply morally wrong to destroy or kill, Water has a tendency to leave its host if they do so. Unlike some of the other elements, you will need a source for your powers to work from, so if you’re in a traveling group, try to follow a river or coastline. Draw with the flow of the water if you can, since that will make it easier for you, and you’ll exhaust yourself slower. Once you have water to work with, you must always keep it moving, or you will drop it. The best way to keep it under your control is to sway back and forth like the waves of the ocean. Keep your movements smooth, slow, and long through your limbs. Attack and defense should almost be a dance. Keep yourself and your water where it needs to be, and move quickly around as those locations change. You will soon learn the rhythm of your water dance, and be able to do so flawlessly when in the heat of battle. Again, you must practice for this to happen though. Water has the almost unique ability to control their element in multiple states, but definitely has the easiest time of doing this out of all the elements. You will be able to control water, steam, ice, and snow, so make use of all four as required. You can also change the state of the water you are using while you are using it. Controlling ice is a bit different than controlling water though, because it’s solid instead of fluid. However, it is still relatively simple. You will want to stop using smooth movements and become more strong and straight forwards when you push something. A good elemental to compare yourself to is Earth. They use strong, fast, harsh movements, and so should you. If you are going to call rain, snow, sleet, or hail, do so with reason. This ability will tire you out quickly, especially if you are in a dry location like a desert. If you are over the ocean, it is not a good idea to encourage storms for obvious reasons. Never fight beside a lightning elemental. You will lessen their contributions considerably. Their powers will be drawn to yours instead of their target, and may hurt you. Fighting against one is very tricky business. You should always seek to be on higher ground than them, but not be the highest thing on the battle ground. This can be difficult seeing as most lightning elementals have wings. If you can, fight with Metal and a passive Wind elemental by your side. You can work together with them in very interesting, and powerful ways. These ways I leave for you to find out about yourself though. Whether you’re working with others or not though, I must again stress the very important need for you to practice. Take at least an hour out of each day to strengthen your abilities, even if you are already a master. You’ll thank me when Water doesn’t leave your side when you need it most. Good luck, ~Hrr’Ta the Moon Seer . Wind Either active or passive, your powers will seem worthless on the surface, but you will be a very integral part of any team. Your element is a very poisonous snake in the grass. Use this to your advantage. You see, most people will think of a wind elemental as being no more powerful than a gentle breeze. But you carry with you the destructive capacity of a massive windstorm. Keep this card trick up your sleeve so as not to give yourself away. It is useful to have your opponent under-estimate you in battle, so that you can easily take them by surprise. Use this trickery too much though, and you will find yourself facing foes who are prepared. Of course, that is for an active Wind elemental. If you happen to be a passive Wind elemental, you have a whole different bag of tricks to use. A passive Wind elemental will focus mostly on subtly changing, removing, or adding different airs to the battleground as they see fit. Many of these airs may be poisonous, and often undetectable. While poisoning an opponent may be effective to kill them, if that is not your goal, it would be better to remove the air around them completely. They will struggle for breath, and soon fall over unconscious from the asphyxiation, but will not be dead. It is important that at this point you return their air supply to them so they do not entirely suffocate. This method will be invaluable when needing to capture an enemy without doing them any harm. Your movements should consist of quick yet smooth swipes and swirls. These movements should not be unpredictable or jerky, or you will lose control of the air you are pushing. It’s a delicate thing, and requires one large, definite push for each thing you want to do. If you get your movements confused, your pressure and control will dissipate very quickly. Using the Wind element unfortunately means a delay between movement and the element’s reaction. As I said before, the element needs big, certain pushes. This is because air is everywhere, and changing the direction or composition of something that is everywhere takes time and determination. Practice taking charge, and being in the lead of your element, forcing it to do what you want. Don’t let it roam completely free like it naturally will. Your element won’t mind being taken charge of, and generally won’t punish you for overuse either. The lack of punishment can be both advantageous and very dangerous, especially in the heat of battle. Your element will give you no special signs that your power and allowances are dwindling. You must pay very close attention to how drowsy each use of your powers is making you. Generally it is best to escape at the first signs of this, and only becomes increasingly more important as you become exhausted. If you ever reach the point that you are about to collapse from the overuse you should stop then. Your collapse may only be into unconsciousness, but can without any particular warning lead to death. In battle, you will be a force to be reckoned with, but only if you know exactly what you are doing. If you have even the slightest hint of uncertainty, you will be over-powered. As such, you should avoid Mystery and Mind elementals at all costs. If you are an active Wind elemental, try to work with a Fire or Earth elemental. If you are passive, work with Water. You can create some very interesting combinations with these people. Good luck, ~Hrr’Ta the Moon Seer . Earth You are powerful and strong; an intimidating foe to any adversary. You are able to manipulate the very battlefield itself to your advantage. With such power it is easy to lose sight of your true intentions. Recklessness is all too easy to fall prey to, and can be more than catastrophic. Of all of the elements you have possibly the most varied set of skills. Soil, sand, stone, and crystal are all potentially at your command. With each medium, you must master a different technique. Seek the help of other elementals in finding these techniques if you can. Soil is like water; naturally still, but easy to move. Your greatest difficulty in manipulating the soil will be the plant life strapping it down. Roots of grass are easily torn individually, but in large sheets can prove insurmountable, even to the strongest Earth Elementals. Sand is light, and easily shifted, but difficult to contain, much like wind. Wind and sand are natural bedfellows. That is the bridge between your opposing elements. Brought together, they are a devastating force of nature. Stone and crystal are alike in strength, but somewhat different in structure. Nevertheless, both share attributes with metal. You must put great force behind moving and reshaping these materials. Be careful not to overexert yourself. Much like Metal, Earth will have lasting effects from overuse. If you do not wish to become the very stone you manipulate, practice moderation. Likewise, if you do not wish to become as frail in structure as the sands, ensure you do not neglect your practice. Good luck, ~Hrr’Ta the Moon Seer . Death As any Life elemental will be able to tell you, everything must come from somewhere, and everything must go somewhere. You are able to take advantage of this far more to your own advantage than they are. As I am sure you are aware by the time you read this, as all Death elementals will stumble upon their abilities rather quickly, you can ‘kill’ your own and others’ pain, as well as weaken others. These two abilities are like two sides of the same coin. They are both taking the energy of death, and moving it someplace from where it initially was. When you ‘kill’ someone’s pain, you remove a certain amount of Death’s energy from them, and store it for later use. When weakening someone, you are repurposing that energy for use against your enemy. So you can see how incredibly advantageous doing anything with your element can be, as it will either be fueling yourself, or reducing a buildup of death energy that could potentially harm you. You see, your element, like many others, is a delicate balancing act. You must keep how much you ‘kill’ pain, and weaken others relatively equal, or you will end up either drawing majorly from your own energy due to a lack of reserve, or you will end up with so much reserve, that your element will eat away at you, killing you slowly from the inside out. Every death elemental will have this happen to them in fact, no matter how much or little they have in reserve. However, it can be counteracted by placing very small dosages onto other people around you. This will not really harm them, and you won’t have to focus on it either, as it will occur naturally, but it will significantly decrease your chances of dying of your own rotting element. Because of this rotting it is very important that you never allow yourself to sink into isolation, lest you not have an outlet for your death energies, so that they destroy you faster. Of course, I have never seen this happen, but I have heard of it. It is far from a pleasant way to go. Though if you travel with a group, and stop in many towns, you should be fine. Good luck, ~Hrr’Ta the Moon Seer . Life Before you begin anything, I want you to know the one rule of your element. There is no giving without losing. No taking without removing. Everything is a trade. You are unable to heal another without first harming yourself to an equal or greater degree. You must learn what is within your control and what is not very soon in your training, lest you selflessly sacrifice your own life for another’s, and jeopardize many more. This may seem cruel, unfair, or immoral to you, but I assure you it is none of those things. You are given this gift to help, and nothing more. Your limitations will lessen as you grow stronger, and you will be able to heal more before you must rest to recover your own body. Recovery times will also decrease with practice. However, you are the only element I will ever tell not to practice unless it is necessary. Your uniqueness in this regard is due to the permanent damage and scarring left by a Life elemental’s touch to both their patients and themselves. No restoration will be perfect, and the scar will always be worn by both parties. You have five branches of your powers that you may explore, each offering an interesting aspect. I have never known a master of more than two. These branches are restoration, replacement, removal, resurrection, and endowment. Restoration is the healing of wounds. This is by far the most common branch for a Life elemental to master. This is used to heal cuts, stabs, and other injuries in which nothing is removed. To do this, you must take the person’s injury onto yourself, and heal it on your own body. This will happen by natural means at a much more accelerated rate than any normal being. This ability cannot replace a missing limb, but it can grow skin over the end, and close off the blood vessels so that the person can go about their regular business without the threat of immediate death or infection. This is by far better than any medicinal methods of amputation. Replacement is naturally, what restoration cannot do: replace missing limbs, or organs to someone who has lost them. This is the rarest branch, and I have only met a few who could do it, none of which agreed to tell me how it is done. If you have the ability to do this, you would be wisest to seek the help of the monks, for they must have some scroll somewhere with information on it. Removal is for infections or illness. As with anything, it must be moved somewhere else living, however, due to the fact that these infections are themselves living things, they can be moved to anything living, not just something of similar qualities to who you are healing. For example, when removing an infection from someone, you could move it to a blade of grass, where it would no longer be able to do harm, and would soon die. Resurrection is risky, and should only ever be done once per person. The resurrection in the first place will take an enormous toll on you, bringing you close to death yourself. After the person’s heart is beating, and they are breathing you should cease giving them your life energy immediately, and allow both of you to recover. Once you have resurrected a particular person once though, it is like they have left a signature on you that prevents you from bringing them back from the other side again. If you attempt to revive someone for the second time, you will most certainly end up in the same place as them. Endowment is a tricky ability, which I am not all too clear on. It seems to have no ill effects on anything, yet provides even inanimate things with life. I am not sure how it is done. Perhaps it involves a method of sharing. However, this ability can give golems the ability to roam free by themselves, and can give false arms and legs the ability to be moved freely by their user. Both of these should be done with the aid of a Mind elemental, as they provide a key ingredient in linking, and giving intelligence. As stated before, you are not required to master every one of these branches to be well advised in the use of your element. Mastering even one branch will do you and your group if you have one quite well. The only final piece of advice I have for you is to choose your closest of friends wisely, so your final burst of energy can be put to good use. Good luck, ~Hrr’Ta the Moon Seer . Mind Due to the nature of our elements, I have never been able to learn much about your kind. All I can offer is that you should keep a healthy closeness and distance from Lightning. Good luck, ~Hrr’Ta the Moon Seer . Metal Do not let your ambition consume you. Metal has an inherent tendency to want to go as large as possible, when a smaller, more precise method would be infinitely more effective. Along with this, there are limitations to how much you can actually do. You may feel like you can create metal out of nothingness, but everything has a source. Don’t run it dry, or it won’t be there when you need it. As an Elemental child of Earth, you share many similarities. Share what knowledge you can with any Earth Elemental you may come across, as your methods will rarely differ, and you can command many of the same materials. In terms of individual advice, start with a strong pose, and make each movement with emphasis. Metal is a heavy element to wield, and requires firm intent to manipulate. You may wish to seek a strong Wind Elemental to help you develop this technique. Your bones will grow stiff with time if you do not practice often to release your Elemental energy. However, allowing yourself to use your powers too much may result in petrification of your body, starting with your extremities. As strong as a statue may be, it is ultimately useless to be incapable of movement. However, do not underestimate the usefulness of covering your body in metal and appearing as a statue. Perhaps the most underestimated ability of a Metal Elemental is the potential for stealth. This protective shell can also serve as chinkless armor that moves with you. It can provide better protection than any forged armor. Remember to always be careful with your use. Do not be afraid of using your powers, but refrain from taking them for granted. Good luck, ~Hrr’Ta the Moon Seer . Lightning An egg of my own line... Welcome to the worst years of your life ~ yet at the same time, the best. It would be unfair of me to impart all of my knowledge on you, as I know too much of my own abilities for you to even begin to comprehend. I also could not hope to put my many years of knowledge to words. However, I will tell you that you are not immune to the element under your own control. You will be hurt with every use. In case you do not know already, draw your power from your core. Other than that, you will have to carve your own path, my grandspawn. Just remember that Mind is far from your friend. Good luck, ~Hrr’Ta the Moon Seer . Time You have the most observant role out of all of the elements. It makes sense that you will not be one to take much action, and I advise you not to. Your placing is better suited to forming careful plans for yourself and your comrades to follow. I cannot tell you how you should do this, as I myself have never understood the intricacies of your element. All I remember were a few vague words that I shall pass on to you. First, you will never see the whole picture. You will only see what the element wants you to. Second, the future has many different forms. Some will happen, and some will not. Never assume you know which one will turn out to be true. Third, watching the past for too long can get you stuck there. And finally, playing with the flow can tear it apart. Fold, stretch, and push carefully. Good luck, ~Hrr’Ta the Moon Seer . Mystery Your element is something I cannot guide you with. You will have to learn for yourself how it works. Good luck, ~Hrr’Ta the Moon Seer . Force You have the most help available to you out of all of the elements, so you will hardly need mine. I will only give you three basic rules to abide by. 1) Always go with your gut feeling. As the Force elemental, it will be right almost all of the time. 2) Don’t forget to turn off your sense to rest yourself. I understand that it can be very easy to let it just keep going forever, but you will drain yourself very quickly if you do not allow yourself to recover. 3) Never over-estimate your strength. If you try to lift something too heavy for you telekinetically, you will do physical harm to your body. The rest you should learn from the monks here. They know far more about your element than I ever will. Good luck, ~Hrr’Ta the Moon Seer . Category:Blog posts